"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it solely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one corner of the earth all one's lifetime." -- Mark Twain
You are expected to speak for 4 to 5 minutes on a Francophone subject of your choice that you have researched. (Narrow the topic) Following this, there is a question period between you and your teacher for 3-4 minutes. During this question period, their job is to show your breadth and depth in the French language. It is followed by a general set of personal questions for 3-4 minutes.
Note: You have to do your oral via cassette tape recording.
Tips for the Oral:
It would be most beneficial to your mark if you chose something relating in some way to French culture. Talking about Ford cars really has nothing to do with French culture, and would not impress scorerss. Some examples that are sure to "wow" the scorer (who will be in another country) would be
French Provinces (i.e. Provence, Champagne, Alsace)
French Cuisine
French Art
Francophone music
Québec
Tour de France
**
* Basically, anything distinctly Francophone will do
Pick something you're interested in and can talk easily about
Watch French television. It is very helpful in picking up enunciation and pronunciation, as well as French expressions, which the markers love to hear.
Practice your speech and record yourself. It is very helpful to hear yourself on tape, and to recognize what common errors you make.
The Individual Oral (15 percent) is comprised of three parts, each lasting 3-4 minutes: the first part is based on a stimulus chosen by the candidate; the second part is a follow-up of probing questions by the interviewer to the candidate. The candidate may one regular size not card with 10 short points -preferably 10 words as reference for the first two parts, but these must not be read and may include no more than 10 short points. The notes are for reference only. The third part is a general discussion in which the candidate is to engage in an authentic discussion. (externally evaluted)
(Second oral) In the Interactive Oral Activity (15 percent), the candidate participates as a member of a group or pair. Typically this is a scored piece that documents a classroom activity. Teachers should include a wide variety of interactive oral activities as an integral part of the class.
Paper 1
The Paper 1 exam is 1h 30 minutes. This exam is designed to test your reading comprehension. You will be given two packages:
Your readings
The exam itself
The exam is composed of approximately 50 questions. They range from True/False to Fill in the Blanks to Finding Synonyms to Matching.
A strong grasp of French vocabulary is a must, as well as grammar.
Paper 2
The Paper 2 exam is also 1h 30 minutes. It is designed to test your writing skills. A list of choices will be given to you, upon which you must select ONE and write a minimum of 250 words on.
Some teachers recommend that you write at least double the minimum, but to be honest, go with quality over quantity. Aim for 350 words, but make those 350 words rife with idiomatic expressions, various verb tenses, and a clear presentation of your knowledge of the language. It is all a matter of personal preference in the end.
Tips for Paper 2
Il faut que vous sachiez comment écrire dans les formes suivantes:
- Discours
- Lettre à un ami
- Lettre Formelle
- Journal Intime
- Essai
Know the specific formats of each form, as these are easy marks to get.
Les questions d'écriture vont exiger une de ces formes. Si vous n'écrivez pas dans la forme précisé, vous serez pénalisé.
Guiding Questions:
1. Do I understand and use the language accurately for communication?
2. Have I taken into account the cultural interaction of language and form?
3. Is my message clear?
These three areas: language, cultural interaction and message, are the
basis for all work in the four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Major Topics: Written Communication in response to listening and reading stimuli.:
- Letters ( formal and informal)
- Diary entries
- Newspaper articles
- Reviews of films, concerts etc.
- Opinion pieces
- Ads
- Brochures
Oral Communication in response to listening and reading and interactive stimuli:
- Presentations
- Paired Conversations
- Debates
- Giving Instructions
- Interviews
- Dialogues
Work on these topics is based on authentic articles, texts, radio broadcasts, films
etc, from the many countries of the French Speaking World and include aspects
of the following broad categories:
- Daily Life
- Socio-economic Concepts
- Leisure Pursuits
- Fine Arts
- Current Events
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it solely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one corner of the earth all one's lifetime." -- Mark Twain
Language B guidebook and scoring rubric:
LanguageB.pdf
- Details
- Download
- 409 KB
IB exam samples
score breakdown for examsFrench B SL:
+28=3
+44=4
+58=5
+73=6
+87=7
Oral exam sample #1 -interview with feedbackOral exam samples
Writing text types samples and information
The exam format
The Oral Exam
You are expected to speak for 4 to 5 minutes on a Francophone subject of your choice that you have researched. (Narrow the topic) Following this, there is a question period between you and your teacher for 3-4 minutes. During this question period, their job is to show your breadth and depth in the French language. It is followed by a general set of personal questions for 3-4 minutes.Note: You have to do your oral via cassette tape recording.
Tips for the Oral:
- It would be most beneficial to your mark if you chose something relating in some way to French culture. Talking about Ford cars really has nothing to do with French culture, and would not impress scorerss. Some examples that are sure to "wow" the scorer (who will be in another country) would be
- French Provinces (i.e. Provence, Champagne, Alsace)
- French Cuisine
- French Art
- Francophone music
- Québec
- Tour de France
*** Basically, anything distinctly Francophone will do
Paper 1
The Paper 1 exam is 1h 30 minutes. This exam is designed to test your reading comprehension. You will be given two packages:- Your readings
- The exam itself
The exam is composed of approximately 50 questions. They range from True/False to Fill in the Blanks to Finding Synonyms to Matching.A strong grasp of French vocabulary is a must, as well as grammar.
Paper 2
The Paper 2 exam is also 1h 30 minutes. It is designed to test your writing skills. A list of choices will be given to you, upon which you must select ONE and write a minimum of 250 words on.Some teachers recommend that you write at least double the minimum, but to be honest, go with quality over quantity. Aim for 350 words, but make those 350 words rife with idiomatic expressions, various verb tenses, and a clear presentation of your knowledge of the language. It is all a matter of personal preference in the end.
Tips for Paper 2
Il faut que vous sachiez comment écrire dans les formes suivantes:- Discours
- Lettre à un ami
- Lettre Formelle
- Journal Intime
- Essai
Know the specific formats of each form, as these are easy marks to get.
Les questions d'écriture vont exiger une de ces formes. Si vous n'écrivez pas dans la forme précisé, vous serez pénalisé.
Guiding Questions:
1. Do I understand and use the language accurately for communication?
2. Have I taken into account the cultural interaction of language and form?
3. Is my message clear?
These three areas: language, cultural interaction and message, are the
basis for all work in the four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Major Topics: Written Communication in response to listening and reading stimuli.:
- Letters ( formal and informal)
- Diary entries
- Newspaper articles
- Reviews of films, concerts etc.
- Opinion pieces
- Ads
- Brochures
Oral Communication in response to listening and reading and interactive stimuli:
- Presentations
- Paired Conversations
- Debates
- Giving Instructions
- Interviews
- Dialogues
Work on these topics is based on authentic articles, texts, radio broadcasts, films
etc, from the many countries of the French Speaking World and include aspects
of the following broad categories:
- Daily Life
- Socio-economic Concepts
- Leisure Pursuits
- Fine Arts
- Current Events